The canisters being used for the Fill the Pill Campaign, which are recycled pill bottles. - Submitted

WATERVILLE, NS – A women’s addictions treatment centre in the works has launched a fundraiser to raise money for repair costs at their future facility.

Hadassahouse has launched the Fill the Pill campaign which aims to raise money for repairs at the location their facility will operate at in Waterville.

Hadassahouse founder Denise Rochonyoung says the fundraising campaign extends from Windsor to Middleton and has a goal of raising $38,000 for asbestos removal and other smaller projects.

“This is about raising funds but also awareness about who we are and what we will be doing,” she said.

How it works

The campaign operates out of several local businesses and depots – listed on the campaign’s website – where participants are able to pick up small Hadassahouse canisters, made from recycled pill bottles.

The canisters are filled with toonies, and dropped off at participating locations, also listed on the website.

And in a convenient twist, the canisters match two of Hadassahouse’s own colours – green and purple.

“We saw them and immediately came up with this – it’s simple, it’s a name people remember and hopefully people see it for the information campaign it is as well,” said Rochonyoung.

The fundraiser has started and will run until Dec. 1, which is the last drop off day for toonie-filled canisters.

An expensive start up cost

Once it opens, Hadassahouse will treat women with drug and alcohol addiction struggles.

Its facility is being built within the former Waterville School, which was acquired from the Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre.

It’s a project with a high renovation cost – Rochonyoung says they’re aiming to raise $1 million for reconstruction that has to be complete before their 2020 opening date.

The organization received $15,000 from the Eastern Kings Memorial Health Foundation to create the building’s new design plans, and received a $5,000 from Shoppers Drug Mart towards the Fill the Pill campaign.

“We’ve got to bring it to it’s bare bones and start from scratch from there,” said Rochonyoung.

“It’s a big project, and we’re going to need all the help we can get.”